


Ace of Spades

by TDKeh16



Series: "Mon Petit Chou" Series [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Anxiety, Boyfriend's shirt, Coming Out, Dirty Talk, Hand Jobs, Hockey, Hockey Talk, Implied Sexual Content, Las Vegas, M/M, Past Relationships, Trigger warning: past attempted suicide, dirty hockey talk, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-30 09:59:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6419317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDKeh16/pseuds/TDKeh16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Falconers are playing the Aces in Las Vegas for the first time since Jack joined the team. What will he do when he sees Kent Parson again for the first time in a year?</p><p>*note: edited the relationship tag. I originally had Jack/Kent listed too because I was going to include flashback scenes from when they were younger, but I didn't want to mislead anyone in thinking it was a cheating fic. Zimbits forever lol</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation from "Hausgiving 2.0" and the final instalment of the "Mon Petit Chou Trilogy". It's not necessary to read part one and part 2 first, but it would make a lot more sense, because this story does reference a few things that happened earlier in the timeline.

Jack: Are you sure about this?  
Jack: You don't have to. I can take a cab to the airport and leave my car at home.  
Jack: Or just get a ride with one of the guys' wives.  
Bitty: Jacques Laurent Zimmermann we BOTH know this is not about a ride to the airport.  
Bitty: Now stop it. I'm leaving now. See you in an hour.  
Jack: Drive safe, mon petit chou. Je t'aime.  
Bitty: I love you too. See you soon.

Jack was pacing his living room when Bitty arrived an hour and a half later, using his own key to enter Jack's apartment. "I was worried something had happened..." He rushed over to greet Bitty. "You didn't answer any of my texts."

"Well, I was _driving_. What was I supposed to do?" Bitty smiled as he tip-toed into his boyfriend's kiss. "I come bearing gifts. I was gone for 10 minutes before I realized I forgot them, so I had to double back to the Haus. _That's_ why I'm running late," he explained, setting two plastic bags down on the kitchen counter and removing his hat, gloves, and the overnight that had been slung over his shoulder.

"You know I get worried about you driving on the highway in winter, especially when it's so dark out..."

"I should have let you know I was running late, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," Bitty rubbed his hand up and down along Jack's breastbone. "I'm here now."

Jack exhaled a happy sigh. "What gifts did you bring me this time?"

"That should be obvious by now," Bitty grinned. He opened the bags and began pulling out the meat pies. "Did you eat the extra one I sent home from Thanksgiving?"

"I ate it for every meal the next day. Even breakfast."

Bitty laughed. "Well, try to make these last a little longer. Pace yourself until Christmas at least," he grimaced at the thought. "Oh lord, _Christmas_..."

"Don't pass out, Bittle. Breathe," Jack chuckled at the look of dread on his boyfriend's face. "Wasn't it your idea to have our parents all come to Providence for the holidays?"

"Excuse you but it was my _mother's_  idea," Bitty insisted as he put the _tourtière_ in the freezer. "She thought of it after talkin' to her best friend, _Bad Bob_."

Jack wrapped his arms around Bitty and pinned him against the refrigerator. He placed a hot kiss behind Bitty's ear. "At least we don't have to worry about them not getting along..." Jack's hands travelled down to undo his belt.

"Hah..." Bitty braced his forehead against the fridge door as he felt his strength leave him. "Okay, no more parent talk for now."

"Agreed. So," Jack breathed against his ear. "Are you going to take your coat off?"

"I'm still cold!" Bitty admitted with a laugh.

"Take off your coat and I'll warm you up," he turned Bitty around to face him, drawing him in for a deep kiss. Jack began unbuttoning his coat impatiently.

"Hang on a minute, mister!"

"I don't want to waste another minute. It's almost midnight already..." Jack nibbled on the nape of Bitty's neck, causing him to squirm. "You should have come here sooner if you wanted to take your time."

"You're not the only one who had a game tonight, you know..." Bitty let his coat slide off his shoulders and he tilted his head up to nip at Jack's bottom lip. "We won, by the way."

"Oh yeah? Did you get any points?" 

"I got an assist in the first period," Bitty said between kisses and Jack's fingers worked on the buttons of his shirt. "And..."

" _And_...?" Jack moved on to Bitty's pants, undoing them quickly and tugging them down from around his waist. "Why are you wearing long johns?"

"I'm cold! I dressed like this all last winter and the year before, you just didn't get to see- ah!" He laughed out as another tug left the long johns piled around his ankles with his pants. "When does this warming you promised happen?"

"When you tell me what happened after that assist..." Jack grinned, pushing the unbuttoned shirt off of Bitty's shoulders and gripping the bottom hem of the t-shirt he wore underneath.

"Then in the _third_  period, I got _another assist._.." Bitty paused as his t-shirt was pulled over his head. When the fabric cleared his face, he was met with a smirking Jack. "I told ya, I get cold! I don't have your icy Canadian blood," Bitty quickly removed the tank he had been wearing underneath his t-shirt. "I dressed in layers!"

"You're like one of those nesting dolls..." Jack chuckled and hoisted Bitty up onto the counter, positioning his body between the other man's legs. "So, two assists in one game? Good job Bittle," his warm hands rubbed along Bitty's hard abs and pecs, then back down again.

"I'm not done yet, Mr. Zimmermann..." Bitty whispered in his ear. "Because after _that_... I scored a _**goal**_."

"Oh fuck, Bits..." Jack tightened his grip on his boyfriend's waist and bucked his hips against Bitty's inner thigh. "I'm so proud of you."

Bitty put a hand behind Jack's head and brought him in for another kiss as the older man undid the drawstring of his own sweatpants and pulled them down. "There was 1:43 left on the clock," he rubbed his knee against Jack's side. "The game was tied..."

"Then what?"

"I got a breakaway..." Bitty revelled in how turned on Jack was getting. He shifted his hips closer and hooked one leg behind Jack's back. "I took it right up the ice..."

"I'm so close..."

" _I_  was so close. I took my shot..." He reached down and stroked Jack slowly, his other hand still holding the back of his head.

Jack moaned. "Yeah?"

"It went in."

"Fuck, Eric..." Jack pulled him forward on the counter and wrapped his arms tightly around him so that he could touch as much of his skin as possible.

"It was the game-winning goal," Bitty breathed against his lips. 

"Ah, wait-!" Jack tried to pull back but Bitty maintained his hold on him.

"It felt _so good!_ "

"Shit, I- ahh!" Jack moaned as he came. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yet, but I-!"

Bitty interrupted his apology with a forceful kiss. "Don't apologize. I knew what I was doing," he grinned and drew him in for another kiss.

"Your turn," Jack chuckled.

"Bedroom," Bitty nipped his ear. "I don't want to defile the kitchen like this."

"I think I just did."

"You defiled my hand," Bitty laughed and wrapped his arms around Jack's neck. "Bedroom now. I can't wait much longer either..."

******

Jack's alarm went off only two hours after they had finally gone to sleep. "Ugh..." He groaned, groping blindly for his phone. Jack hit the snooze button and wrapped his arms back around Bitty, making sure to pull the blanket back up to cover his bare shoulders.

Bitty gave a small shiver and opened his eyes. "Good morning," he smiled.

"Good morning," Jack smiled back, manoeuvring his body so that their legs were entwined. "I have fifteen minutes and then I _need_ to get out of bed."

"What did you have in mind?" Bitty asked with a curious grin.

"Nothing, just this. You can go back to sleep if you want..."

Bitty curled into him, sliding one arm around Jack's back while the other gently touched his face. "You look so tired, baby..."

"I'll sleep on the plane."

"Do you still think it was worth it to stay up so late?"

"Of course," Jack grinned and gave him a kiss. "Do you?"

"So worth it," Bitty chuckled softly against his neck. "You were _insatiable_ last night, especially in the kitchen; I barely even had to touch you."

"I was excited for your big game."

"I'll have to remember that. It will be the perfect motivation to do my best next game..."

"You should give 100% _every_ game, Bittle."

Bitty burst out in laughter. "Well hello, _Captain Jack_. Long time, no see. Can I have my boyfriend back for at least ten more minutes?"

"That can be arranged," he wrapped his arms around Bitty a little tighter. "Are you cold?" Jack asked.

"I'm good. This is nice," he snuggled closer. Curled against Jack's chest, he could hear his heartbeat racing. "Jack...?"

"I've been dreading this trip all season," he let out a heavy sigh. "I wish I could just stay here with you..."

"It will be okay, I promise. You will play incredibly like always, and relax in your hotel room, and then catch your flight to LA the next day. You'll be home in 5 days and I'll be right here waiting for you again," Bitty glossed over the one thing he knew was troubling Jack about his upcoming road trip to Las Vegas. Kent Parson. He sighed. It was better to address it. "Have you decided whether to see him?"

"Not yet. I want to see how I feel when I get there. I don't want him getting in my head before the game," Jack sighed again and moved ever so slightly closer to his boyfriend. "Are you sure you're okay with it? If Parse and I end up talking?"

"I told you from the start, it's not the _talking_ I'm worried about..." Bitty realized how his words sounded and scrambled to clarify. "Ah- that came out wrong. I didn't mean like _that_..." He brought one hand up his forehead. "I want you guys to talk, but I'm worried about what _he_ might _say_. I'm not worried about you being unfaithful or anything, I promise..."

"You know, I'd understand if you _were_ worried about that... You don't _**need**_ to be, but it's okay if you are."

"I know you could fight him off if he tried something -- and I'm not even saying I think he would -- but I don't know him that well, so it makes me anxious to think about it. The way he seems in public is so different from what I've seen in private, so my mind just runs with all these wild situations."

"Parse is a lot of things, but you don't have to worry about him doing anything _that_ bad."

"You would know better than anyone, I guess. Right?" Bitty rubbed his hand up and down Jack's chest.

"That was true at one point, but I don't know anymore. People change. I'd like to think _I_ have."

"Only for the better," Bitty cooed.

"Since meeting you," Jack rolled their bodies so that Bitty was lying on top of him and bundled the blanket around them. "It's good that you came to Samwell. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had never met you."

"There would probably be some _other_ man naked in your bed right now..." Bitty teased.

" _You're_ the only naked man I want to find in my bed ever again," Jack grinned. "Not even Shitty gets a chance anymore."

Bitty cackled. Even he had lost count of the number of times he had overheard Jack scolding Shitty for his habit of lounging naked in his bed during their final year at Samwell. "You know he'll find one way or another. I'll allow it."

"Will you, now? So first you take over control of my kitchen, and now my bedroom?"

"Don't kid yourself, Mr. Zimmermann. I have _always_ been in control of this bedroom."

Jack's laughter was interrupted by the snooze alarm on his phone. "I definitely need to get out of bed now," he rolled Bitty onto his side and reluctantly crawled out of bed. "Are you getting up too or do you want to sleep for a little longer?"

"Well, I _would_ get up, but..."

 "Hm?"

"All of my clothes are in the kitchen. Even my overnight bag," Bitty laughed and rolled the blanket around himself like a burrito. "Let me raise my temperature a little more first."

Jack shook his head with a smirk as he fetched Bitty's things from the other room. "Awful lot in this bag for one night, Bittle. Did you pack food in here and forget about it?"

"Ah, no..." Bitty stared up at him. "I thought I could keep a few shirts and things here so that I don't have to pack each time. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Jack dropped the bag onto his bed and unzipped it. "Let's see..."

"Who said you could go through my stuff?" Bitty wriggled closer.

"I like this shirt on you," Jack held up a dark blue button-down shirt and hung it on a hanger in his closet. 

"Thanks."

"What's this?" He pulled out a soft white t-shirt that looked like it would be too big on Bitty. "Is this mine? It smells like you."

"It was part of a Christmas gift my first year at Samwell. Evidently, my father was convinced that finally playing a _real_ contact sport would help me grow. I mean, he had _just_  seen me in August. How much could I have possibly grown in four months?" Bitty gave his head a small shake. "Needless to say, I had to exchange most of it. The t-shirt was comfortable though, so I kept it to sleep in sometimes."

"Is that so?" Jack pulled it on over his head. "It almost fits me, but it's a bit tight."

The fabric was soft enough that it was able to stretch a little on his hard athletic body. "Oh lord, don't subject me to the sight of you in a tight white tee so early in the morning. _Especially_ when we don't have enough time to act out all the thoughts running through my head..."

Jack chuckled and pulled the shirt back over his head, inhaling deeply at the scent of vanilla and cinnamon. Instead of hanging it in the closet or folding it for a drawer, he placed his boyfriend's t-shirt in his own bag. "I think I'll bring this with me. You've taken plenty of my shirts, lately."

"I've taken _two_ ," Bitty clarified, reluctantly unrolling himself from the blanket but still clutching it around him and sitting up in bed. He stretched one arm outside the warmth of his cocoon and began picking through his clothes for what he would wear that day. He glanced up at Jack. "... Are you _really_  bringing it with you?"

"Do you not want me to?" Jack took the t-shirt in question back out of his bag.

"No, no, it's okay! It's nice, like a keepsake. Something to remember me by so you don't feel so alone on this trip. _Especially_ this trip," Bitty took the shirt from his hand and purposefully dropped it back in Jack's bag. "I want you to have it, if it helps."

"Thanks, Bittle."

Bitty got dressed under the blankets to preserve heat. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the chill he would face when he finally got out of bed. "Okay, here goes nothing!" He sprinted out of the room while Jack laughed at him and resumed packing.

When Jack left his bedroom ten minutes later, Bitty had made him a quick breakfast. "They'll have food on the plane, you didn't have to do this," he should have known better by now that it was the wrong thing to say.

"Are you saying you would prefer to eat _airplane food_ over my delicious home-cooked meal?" Bitty teased.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Jack stood at the counter to eat. They were running out of time, he would have to get to the airport soon. "This is really good," he paused only once to say while he devoured the egg white and spinach omelette that Bitty had made. He gulped his coffee, stopped to give Bitty a kiss on his temple on his way to put his dishes in the sink, then left to brush his teeth.

Bitty was finishing up their few dishes when Jack returned. He dried off his hands on a dish towel, but Jack caught him in his arms from behind before he could turn around. "Jack!" Bitty exclaimed in surprise.

"Close your eyes," Jack instructed. He did as he was told, and found something warm being pulled over his head. "This should help if you get cold while I'm gone."

Bitty opened his eyes and threaded his arms through the sleeves of one of Jack's old Samwell sweatshirts. He smiled and turned around to face him. "I might end up keeping this one too."

"It's okay if you do," he wrapped Bitty into a tight hug and exhaled softly against his hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," Bitty brought his arms up to return the hug, adding an extra squeeze, his hand covered by the oversized sleeves of Jack sweatshirt. "It's time. I'll drive you to the airport. Are you ready?"

"I have _everything_ I need," Jack's grip briefly tightened around his boyfriend as he said the word 'everything' before stepping back and grabbing his bag. "Let's go."

They chatted happily on the way to the airport. Jack had picked an apartment close to the rink, but that meant the drive to the airport took over half an hour. Luckily, they had left in plenty of time. Bitty pulled up outside to drop him off. "Well, looks like we made it with some time to spare. Have a good flight."

"Right," Jack looked pensively out the window at the entrance to the airport but did not immediately move to get out of the car.

"Jack..." Bitty reached over and grabbed his hand. "You've got this. You'll be okay," he rubbed his thumb over Jack's knuckles.

"And if I'm not?"

"Then give me a call. Anytime, day or night. I won't care. I'll _run_ to Vegas if I have to," Bitty said with a soft chuckle. "But I know you can do this. And whether you decide to see Kent Parson or not, you have my support either way."

Jack grabbed his bag from the back seat and paused again at the open passenger door. He leaned across the seat and kissed Bitty without a care about who might see. The airport was bustling as expected at seven in the morning, but nobody was paying much attention to the little car in the loading area. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me," he whispered.

Bitty's face flushed. Even after seven months together, Jack's words still managed to catch him off guard. "Same for me," he replied quietly and licked his lips. "I love you."

" _Je t'aime, mon petit chou,_ " Jack smiled and leaned over for one final kiss before closing the car door and walking into the airport, pausing once for a small, brief wave back at Bitty's car before it drove off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Kent meet again and confront each other on their past mistakes.  
> Trigger warning: discussion of Jack's OD as a suicide attempt (rather than a potential accidental overdose)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, please read the trigger warning in the chapter summary. This was a bit of a challenge to write for me, since I have some experience on both sides of that.
> 
> See end notes for a brief explanation of some of the hockey stuff.

"Zimmermann! You have a visitor..." The frown on the equipment manager's face told Jack all he needed to know. He swallowed down the nerves rising in his stomach and approached the door. 

"Hey, Zimms. Long time no see," Kent Parson stepped into the Falconers' locker room and was immediately met with groans and angry muttering.

"What are you doing here, Parse?" 

"If I didn't come get you straight from the locker room you would have snuck away without me."

Jack tensed up. It had been his plan to do exactly that. "I'm not feeling up to it tonight..."

"Why? Because you lost? It was in OT and we're in different conferences, don't worry about it. No big deal," Kent shrugged his shoulders.

"You've been on my case all night."

"It's called doing my job."

"You almost broke my teammate's nose with that dirty check..." Jack frowned.

"It's not like it was _intentional_ , it's an occupational hazard. I wasn't expecting him to turn towards the boards. I took my five minutes for it, I accept that. Want to grab dinner?"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Kent huffed. "Why not?"

"I don't want to start any rumours."

"Zimms, the whole world knows we go way back. Let's grab a drink _at least,_ " the blond prodded.

"Drinks would be even worse."

"So you'll go all the way to fucking Georgia for a weekend but you won't go down the street for a meal with me?" Kent scoffed.

"How do _you_ know about that?" Jack hardened his stare, his fists clenching at his sides.

Kent leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "Your parents were in town last month. They came to a game. Your mom told me all about your graduation, since I couldn't make it up there because of playoffs. I asked about your summer and how you were liking the Falconers so far since you've been ignoring almost all my calls, texts, and emails. They told me that you visited your 'teammate Bittle' for the 4th of July..."

"So what if I did?" Jack crossed his arms as well. "I don't see why that should be any of your business."

"I've been trying to get you to visit me for _years_. If I didn't drive out to Massachusetts those few times I might never have seen you again. I _begged_ you to come when I first moved here-!"

Jack was careful to keep his voice down so that his teammates would not hear him losing his composure. "I was fresh out of _rehab!_ Don't you think it would've been a bad idea for me to immediately head the Mecca of drugs, sex, and drinking? I'm _still_ trying to avoid any of that mess," He raked his hand through his hair impatiently. Sometimes Kent's selfishness was too much. Why couldn't he understand what Jack had gone through?

Kent scoffed. "Well, trying to avoid two of those three, _apparently_..."

Jack slammed his hand against the wall, garnering some looks from his teammates on the other side of the room. "Don't go there, Parse..." He warned.

Kent pushed off from the wall and got in Jack's face. "Last I checked, the NHL didn't have 'Wives and _**Boy**_ friends' groups..." He smirked, pointedly poking the taller man's chest when he said 'boy'.

Jack gripped Kent's shirt with both hands and shoved him backwards against the wall. Kent shoved him back and a handful of Falconers rushed in to intervene. One grabbed Jack's arms and held him back until he unclenched his fist.

"Hey! Is there some kind of  _problem_ here?" His teammate asked with side-glare at Kent. The Aces' star player had been a problem to them all night, and apparently he was not only aggressive on the ice.

"Sorry, it's fine," Jack sighed as he was let go. "We're friends... or something," he gently waved his teammates off.

"Or _something?_ Fuck you, Zimms. I've known you for 10 goddamned years," the words coming out if Kent's mouth were angry, but the expression on his face showed that he was more hurt than anything. "One drink. Or a meal if you're worried about being seen drinking in public. Hell, I'd settle for a bag of _fucking cheetos_ just stop ignoring me!"

Jack looked at the floor. "Okay, fine. You're right, we should have a talk."

Kent let out a small sigh of relief as the tension between them eased. "Which hotel are you staying at? I was hoping we could talk in private..." he glanced nervously around Jack's shoulder and saw a few of the Falconers giving him the evil-eye.

"I'm sharing a room with one of my teammates. His wife was worried he'd go gamble all night. I said I'd keep an eye out for him."

"Alright. We'll go to my place, then."

"Kenny..." Jack said spoke softly yet sternly to make sure his point would get across. "I'm seeing someone."

Kent grew quiet and looked down for a moment before turning for the door. "I'll wait for you outside. Hurry up."

******

"Want a drink?" Kent asked as Jack took a seat on his couch and immediately took out his phone out of his pocket.

"Water's fine," Jack glanced up from the screen.

"At least have a beer. _One_ beer. I'm the only one that's going to see," Kent insisted. He brought two beers over and set one down in front of Jack on the coffee table along with a bottle of water. "You're really paranoid about that, huh?"

"I wouldn't say _paranoid_ , I just don't want to cause some unnecessary scandal because I didn't properly consider the consequences."

"You think a picture of you having one drink would cause that much trouble?"

"I told you before, between being Bad Bob's son and my stint in rehab, I'm getting enough attention as it is. I don't want to cause any more trouble to my team."

"Yeah, uh, you've never said that to _me_ ," Kent took a sip of his beer.

Jack looked up from his phone. "Sorry, um, I guess I said that to Bittle..."

"Uh-huh? Is that who you've been texting since you left your locker room?"

"Yeah..." Jack's phone buzzed again, but he purposely held off reading it now that Kent had pointed it out.

Kent took off his hat and ran a hand through his unruly blond hair. "So is he the guy you're dating?"

"I never said it was a guy," Jack insisted.

"No. You didn't," he sighed. "But I'm also not an idiot. He's that short kid who caught us together last time, right?"

Jack inhaled sharply. " _Yes_."

"Is that when it started? Or were you already together by then?"

"I didn't say it was him."

"Yeah, and I just told you that I'm not an idiot. You went to his hometown and met his fucking _family_. You've been texting him non-stop for the past twenty minutes," Kent raised his hand and began counting off each point with his fingers. "You were flirting with him when I found you at that party-!"

"I wasn't flirting."

"Leaning into him, smiling, asking to take a fucking _selfie_ together? Not to mention that horrified look on your face when your bedroom door opened and he was standing right there," Kent scoffed. "Can we cut the bullshit already? Just admit it."

"Fine. It's true. Are you going to tell somebody now?"

"I wouldn't do that to you, Zimms. _Jesus_..." Kent huffed. "You know, these persecutory delusions of yours-"

"I don't _have_  persecutory delusions, Parse. You would know that if you had-!" Jack stopped himself. He stood from the couch. "This was a mistake. I knew it would be a waste of time to see you again."

"Jack, stop it!" Kent leapt from the couch and grabbed his arm. "What were you going to say? That I would know if I had _what?_  Visited you in the hospital? It was family-only. _Rehab?_ Your doctors there blamed me as the main reason for your overdose. How was I supposed to show my face there even if they let me? Fuck, Jack! You're so selfish sometimes!"

" _ **I'm**_ the selfish one?!" Jack exploded at him. "You rode my coat tails for _years_  -- all the benefits of being Bad Bob's 'son' without any of the pressure. I was nothing but a stepping stone for you, and in the end you stomped so hard that you broke me on your way to the top."

"Well, shit. I guess I'm the bad guy here. Again. God forbid the mighty Jack Zimmermann take any responsibility for his own fucking actions," Kent grit his teeth.

"It's all my fault, huh? Or your dad's fault? His mere existence as a legend put pressure on you, so just forget about all the hours he spent helping develop the skills for what he thought was your dream. I was your best friend that you liked to drink with, so let's just forget that I was a teenager who was making my own mistakes and blame me for all of yours. 

"I didn't force those pills down your throat, Zimms. Neither did your dad. It wasn't any of the scouts, or coaches, or reporters, or anyone else you can think to blame. You made your choice -- it was the _wrong_  one -- but _you_ were the one who made it."

"That's not fair..."

"I know," Kent sighed. "I know..." He touched Jack's arm again, gently this time, like he used to. Jack flinched, but did not walk away. "Sit back down. Please."

Jack took his seat on the couch and opened his beer. He sipped it to stall while he tried to think of what he wanted to say. "I know I made my own bed with the draft. I know that, but I've worked really hard to claw my way back up from those mistakes. I wish you tried for even a minute to understand what I was going through..."

"Still 'I, I, I,' with you. And you have the nerve to call _me_  selfish? Well what about me? Did you ever try to understand what I was going through? You act like the NHL was _only **your**_ dream. So I didn't have a famous father, does that mean I wasn't under pressure to succeed too?" Kent scoffed. 

"Did you think about how your overdose affected the people around you? I'm sorry I didn't handle the situation as well as your parents did, but what did you expect? I was a stupid teenager. Stop blaming the me _now_ for the me back _then_. I'm not the same person anymore. And it wasn't that I didn't _love_ you... I just didn't know what to say. How many times do I have to apologize before you finally listen to me?"

"I know you're sorry, you don't have to keep apologizing..." Jack sighed. "I know I owe you a lot of apologies too."

"Well?" Kent leaned his arm against the back of the couch. He took another sip of his beer and stared at Jack expectantly.

"I'm sorry I've shut you out over the years. I was jealous, and angry at myself for ruining everything when I was so close to the draft. Every time I looked at you, I was reminded of my failure. You went first in the draft, got the Calder, won the Stanley Cup... And it felt like every time I was starting to let go you would show up and throw everything in my face again."

"I wasn't trying to-"

"I know."

"We used to do everything together. I wasn't trying to rub your face in my success, I just wanted to _share_ it with you. I've missed you so much, you have no idea..."

"I think I have _some_ idea," Jack replied quietly. "Do you know how many times I sat in my hospital bed and stared at the door, hoping you would walk through it? You only came twice."

Kent finished his beer and walked to the kitchen to grab another. "I should have visited more. I regret that... but I was terrified."

"Of what? The doctors?" Jack watched him closely. In all the arguments the two of them had in the years since, he had never heard Kent admit fear.

"I never cared that your doctors blamed me. I cared that _you_ did. I was so scared. I wasn't enough to keep you from your first attempt, why would I think I could save you from trying again?"

"It wasn't your fault, Kenny. When I took all those pills... I wasn't thinking about leaving you behind, or my parents, or _anything_ really. I just wanted it to _**stop**_. I was so tired."

"I get it _now_ , but I didn't at the time. Back then, all the competition between us and all the attention we got for how well we played together... It _motivated_ me. That shit still does. But it was different for you and I couldn't understand that."

"And last year? Did you understand it _then_ when you showed up at my school uninvited and cornered me in my room? The shit you said..."

"I don't know. I didn't show up looking for a fight that night, I swear. I wanted to see you, that's all. I was excited that you were fielding offers from the NHL. The unstoppable Zimmermann-Parson duo, reunited at last. We were always supposed to do this together, remember?"

"Even if I had made the draft back then, it's not like we would have made it on the same team. No team had the first and second draft pick. We would've been separated anyway."

"But I was giving you that _exact_ chance!" Kent threw one hand up in exasperation. The outburst caught Jack by surprise. "I told you my GMs would free up the cap space if you were interested and you turned me down. It was yours and you flat out refused without so much as a blink."

"It didn't feel right. I wanted to make it to the NHL on my own merits. I didn't want to depend on your help or my dad's help or anyone else. If I didn't do it myself then what did any of it mean? I went to Samwell to for a reason, to redeem myself, accepting that offer would have made it pointless."

Kent scoffed and shook his head. He muttered something followed by taking a gulp of his beer.

"What did you say?"

"I said I hate that fucking school," he repeated clearly. "It ruined everything."

"That 'fucking school' probably saved my life," Jack growled back. "What reason do you have to hate it all of a sudden?"

"It took you away from me."

"We've just been through this-"

"I don't mean as a _**teammate**_ , Jack. _Fuck!_ " Kent gripped his head in frustration. "Want to know why I was so pissed off that night? It's because I showed up and found you cozying up with some fucking kid at a party which you would normally avoid. You pushed me away when I tried to kiss you and I knew why. I fucking _knew_ it. You were done with me and I got no say in the matter. I always assumed once you graduated things would go back to normal and while I was waiting you moved on."

"I never told you to wait for me. Why would you even think that?"

"Because I loved you, _obviously_."

"Look, I'm sorry about how everything ended between us, but make no mistake, it _**has**_ ended. If you want to be friends we can give that a shot, but if you can't accept that then I'm going to leave right now."

"I don't know what I want anymore when it comes to you," Kent admitted.

"Then I should go," Jack stood from the couch but Kent stopped him again. "Kenny..."

"Wait. This is the first real conversation we've had in years, Zimms..." Kent's pleading expression was hard for Jack to ignore. "I have to run to the bathroom, _please_  don't take off while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay," Jack agreed quietly and pulled out his phone to check his unread texts from Bitty.

Bitty: Ugh. How is Holster's voice SO loud? I can hear everything he is saying downstairs right now.  
Bitty: You still there?  
Bitty: Sorry, guess you guys are talking now.  
Bitty: I hope it goes well. Love you. <3  
Bitty: Not trying to spam you phone with texts or anything, but is everything ok?  
Bitty: It's been 20 mins or so. Still good?  
Bitty: I'm not trying to be a nuisance, just worried. Let me know you're ok...  
Jack: I'm okay. Sorry. Didn't mean to worry you.  
Jack: We're having a really big, long overdue conversation.  
Bitty: Are you okay?  
Jack: Yeah. It's a lot though.  
Jack: I love you.   
Jack: I'll let you know when it's over.  
Bitty: Okay. Love you too.  
Jack: <3  
Bitty: Jack Zimmermann using an emoticon??? You SURE you're okay? :P  
Jack: ;)  
Bitty: WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BOYFRIEND???????

Jack laughed out loud right as Kent walked back into the room. "Sorry, just replying to some texts..." Jack cleared his throat and put his phone back down.

Kent flopped his body back down on the couch, sitting sideways to face Jack. "So... What do you see in him, anyway? I mean, he seemed like a nice kid and all when I met him, but I don't really get it."

"Bitty's- _Eric_  is a good person. He makes me _happy_ ," Jack sighed and reached over to the table to finish off his beer. "Like I want to be a better person, but at the same time it's okay if this is the best I can do... I can't remember _ever_ feeling like that before."

Kent's lips crept into a small smile. "Well, it _is_  nice to hear you laugh again. It's been too long..."

"Yeah."

"Does your team know about him?"

"Not exactly. They've all _met_  him, but I think they only know him as my former teammate from school. George, my assistant GM knows, but she's the only person I've actually told," Jack switched to his bottle of water. "What about you? Does your team know about you?"

"Nah. I mean, one guy knows, but he's pretty keen on keeping things on the DL..." Kent looked down at the bottle in his hand and cleared his throat. "Your parents seem to like him a lot, Bittle, I mean. They know you're dating him?"

"Yeah," Jack chuckled.

"And his parents too?"

"They do now. They didn't when I went to Madison in the summer."

"And they're okay with it?"

"Yeah, they're really nice," he smiled. "Actually, they're all coming to Providence next week for Christmas. My parents too."

"Meeting for the first time?"

"It will be a first for his dad, but his mom has known my parents for a couple years now. She talks to my dad on the phone at least once a month."

Kent laughed for the first time that night. "Women still flock to that guy, huh? Your dad's too charming for his own good. I can just picture him chatting away on the phone for hours like some teenaged girl."

"I think that's pretty close to the truth," Jack smiled. "I should get going, I still have my roommate's wallet and I'm sure he's blown through his gambling allowance by now. Thanks for the talk. I was worried about seeing you, but I'm glad we did this."

"Me too," Kent pulled him in for a tight hug as they stood and rested his forehead against Jack's shoulder. "I know it seems like I'm still hung up on you, but I've just really missed you. I want my friend back, and I'm fine if that's all we are. I mean it. I like seeing you happy, and if Bittle is the reason for that then I guess he's not so bad."

Kent's cell phone rang and bit his lip, glancing up from the screen at Jack in hesitation before answering it. "One sec. I should get this," he paced around the entrance to the living room as he spoke to whoever was on the other line. "Hey... What, _now?_  No, my friend is still here. Zimmermann, yeah. Oh god, don't say _that_ ," Kent chuckled with a small look over at Jack. "We're friends."

Jack pulled out his phone again and sent Bitty a quick text to let him know that he was leaving soon and would call him when he got back to his hotel. He looked up when Kent laughed again, likewise, it had been a long time since Jack had heard that too. "Are _you_ happy?" Jack paused on his way out the door.

Kent glanced down at the phone in his hand and a small smile crossed his lips. "Yeah, I think I will be."

"Good. I like seeing you happy too, Kenny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kent's 5 min penalty: simply put, if you make the other guy bleed, you get a longer penalty (more reasons than that, but in this story that's what happened. The Falconer took a header into the boards and ended up with a bleeding nose)
> 
> Losing in overtime: a team gets two points for winning a game, 0 points for losing EXCEPT if the loss is in OT. If you make it into overtime and lose the game, your team gets 1 point and the winning team is still awarded their 2 points.
> 
> Conferences: every point counts on the way to the playoffs obviously, but it matters a little more to do well inside your own conference (east vs west) because every 2 points that your team wins are 2 points that would have got another team closer to the playoffs (there's more about the divisions inside each conference but these notes are long enough already lol)
> 
> \---  
> Next chapter will be much shorter (and happier). Jack wakes up from his nap in an LA hotel room and shenanigans have ensued lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up from a nap in LA on the next stop on his road trip to discover people have been talking about him... And for once it's not because of a group text error.

Jack curled up in bed when he reached his hotel room in Los Angeles the following afternoon. He had spent half of his night first on the phone with Bitty, before switching to texts when his roommate returned. His roommate for the Vegas portion of the road trip, Serge, had been on a hot streak with the thousand dollar gambling allowance his wife had agreed Jack could leave him. He brought his playing money up to over eight grand, before unceremoniously losing it all, and felt the need to share every detail with Jack.

Jack woke up from his nap two hours later to find a bizarre text from Kent on his phone.

Parse: Dude, not sure if you're aware, but a part of your body is trending on Twitter right now and for once it's not your ass.  
Jack: What the hell are you talking about?  
Parse: Twitter. It's a social media website.  
Parse: lol jk  
Parse: But seriously, might want to call your boyfriend.

Jack sat up, a feeling of dread stabbing into his chest. He was wide awake now. What could have possibly happened in the two hours he was asleep, and how did Kent Parson know before he did? He texted Bitty immediately.

Jack: Bittle! Parse just told me I'm on Twitter. How?  
Jack: What did I do?  
Bitty: I was hoping you wouldn't find out.  
Jack: Did you do something? How bad is it?  
Bitty: Not me. Looks like your roommate tweeted a pic of you sleeping this morning.   
Bitty: At least, PART of you. Can't see your face, but...  
Jack: Oh god. What is it???  
Bitty: One sec, I'll send it.

Bitty proceeded to send Jack a picture of his torso dressed in Bitty's white t-shirt, the fabric clinging tightly to every contour of his chest and riding up slightly on one side to reveal part of his abs. Next, Bitty sent a link to an article (apparently one of many) detailing the online frenzy that followed and the accompanying tweets Serge had written:

\- "Guess the falconer in this tight shirt? Would be LESS obscene if he was shirtless. Any ladies wanna teach him laundry? #1stDateIdeas #ShirtIsSHRUNK"

\- "Dude smells like cupcakes. No lie. I'm feeling new feelings lol apologies to my wife. I think I'm in love. #WeHad6GoodYrs"

\- "Confirmed: no girlfriend. He's single, ladies!!!"

The last tweet made Jack cringe the most. For one, he realized why Serge had suddenly asked him if he had a girlfriend as they boarded the plane from Vegas to LA that morning. Even worse, was the declaration that Jack was "single," especially since he knew Bitty had also read that. 

Jack: I'm sorry. I didn't say I was single, I promise.  
Jack: He asked if I had a girlfriend and I said no.  
Bitty: It's okay. I would understand if you did.  
Jack: Bits...  
Bitty: It's okay. Really. As long as you don't get some fake girlfriend I don't care who thinks you're single.  
Bitty: But the only beard I'll tolerate is a playoff one. Got it?  
Jack: haha deal.   
Bitty: So...  
Bitty: Are you still wearing my shirt?  
Bitty: I'm wearing your sweater.  
Bitty: And nothing else.  
Jack: Really? I don't believe you. Picture or it didn't happen.  
Bitty: Fine. You caught me. I'm wearing other clothes too.  
Jack: How many layers?  
Bitty: Only 2!! I don't have to go outside today.   
Jack: Two PLUS the sweatshirt?  
Bitty: That's enough out of you, mister.  
Bitty: Do you have practice today?  
Jack: An optional skate this evening. I'm going to go for a run and maybe do some sightseeing.  
Jack: There's a photography museum.  
Bitty: Pfft! Of course.  
Jack: I'll call you later. Je t'aime.  
Bitty: I love you too, nerd.

******

Jack returned to his hotel room that evening, thankful that he was not sharing a room this time. He had spent the better part of dinner and practice being chirped by his teammates about the picture Serge had posted, and it was nice to have some peace and quiet again. His solitude was short lived, as a knock came at his door. It was Serge. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Jack stepped away from the doorway to let him in.

"I deleted that tweet. Sorry. It got out of hand, I never should have posted it. I was just kidding around."

"Did you get scolded by PR?"

"No, by my wife. Um... Can we talk?" Serge sat down on Jack's bed.

"I'm not mad, you don't have to worry. I probably wouldn't have let you do it if I had known, but it was harmless anyway. Gave everyone a good laugh at least."

"Was it? Harmless, I mean?"

"I don't know Twitter or anything, but I read an article covering it and it seemed like everyone thought it was funny," Jack shrugged.

"Is there something _you_ want to talk about?"

"Hm? No, man. I said we're good. No harm done."

"Okay," Serge rubbed his face, his voice muffled by his hands. "I'm just gonna read you Mandy's texts," he pulled out his cell phone. "She sent these to me while I was at practice. First one says, 'is that Zimmermann?' & I told her it was. Next one says, 'did you ask if he was SINGLE or did you ask if he has a GIRLFRIEND?' I told her I didn't see the difference but she insisted there was... There is, isn't there? For you?"

Now that he thought about it, there had been a change in Serge's behaviour between practice and their team dinner. Jack froze like a deer in headlights. His pulse started to race and his palms were sweating. "I..."

"It's okay, it's okay! I'm not going to say anything. My wife's uncle is gay, I get it. Well, sort of get it. I won't tell anyone, just thought you might need someone to talk to or something."

"Uh, thanks. I guess..." Jack took a seat on the desk chair and took a few deep breaths to try to steady his breathing. It didn't do much, but it calmed him a little. "Was I that easy to figure out?"

" _I_  had no clue, but Mandy, uh... I guess she was leaving the airport the other day at the same time you got there and she saw you with a guy..."

The kiss. "Shit..."

"She doesn't think anyone else saw, don't worry. Mandy only noticed because she knows you. She was going to say hi when she saw you get out of the car but then she said it looked like you gave him a kiss goodbye and she didn't want to worry you."

"Oh god..."

"It's okay, you know? I won't tell anybody, I mean it. That guy Mandy saw... Is he your boyfriend or something? How'd you meet?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Yeah, he is. We met at school, he was my teammate. Then we lived in the same house for my senior year."

"Is it the guy you said used to walk around naked all the time?"

" _Shitty?_ Oh god no!" Jack laughed. He cleared his throat, a little embarrassed by his sudden burst of laughter. "No, uh, it's Bittle."

"Bittle! That adorable guy who's the reverse of my height? My wife is taller than him!" Serge laughed. "Fuck! _Of course_  it's him. He's come to so many games already. I'm an idiot. It's so obvious when I think about it. No wonder you always smell like fucking cupcakes. Am I the only person you've told?"

"Our parents and most of our mutual friends know, and Parse, but as far as Falconers go, George was the only one I had told here."

"Well, now she's not the only one you can talk to around here," Serge leaned over and clapped a reassuring hand on Jack's shoulder. "We're friends, right?"

"Right," Jack smiled. He got along well with his new teammates, but Serge was probably the first one he could consider an actual friend.

"Wait, so Kent Parson knows? Are you worried about that?"

"It's okay. We've been friends for a long time."

"No offence, but it didn't look that way yesterday..."

"We've had our issues in the past, but I think we've taken a turn for the better now. He's really not a bad guy."

"Well, as long as you're happy, buddy. I still think he's a little weasel, but you obviously know him better than I do. I'm gonna head to bed," Serge patted him on the back as he yawned. "Tell Bittle I say hi."

"I will. _Merci_."

" _De rein,_ " Serge smiled as he left.

Jack picked up his phone and stretched out on his bed. He took a minute to absorb everything that had just happened, then texted Bitty.

Jack: I just came out to my teammate.  
Jack: Serge. The one from the Twitter.  
Bitty: Is everything ok????  
Jack: Yeah. He was really cool with it.  
Bitty: Which one is Serge again?  
Jack: The one that is 6'5" and likes to tease you.  
Bitty: Oh.  
Jack: He says hi by the way.  
Bitty: Tell him I say hi too, I guess.  
Bitty: Also tell him I'm 5'7" now so his joke doesn't work anymore.  
Jack: Is that true?  
Bitty: That's not important.  
Jack: Haha!  
Jack: Bittle...  
Bitty: Quiet, you! Don't ruin this for me!!!  
Bitty: But, you're sure you're okay?  
Jack: I am. I was dreading this road trip so much but it turned out pretty great so far.  
Bitty: I'm so happy for you, baby.  
Jack: I can't wait to see you again. I should be back in Providence Friday evening.  
Bitty: I'll be waiting.  
Bitty: Hey... Not that I'm worried or anything but...  
Bitty: How did Kent Parson know that was your picture if it doesn't show your face?  
Jack: ... I honestly have no clue.   
Jack: I'll ask him and let you know.  
Bitty: Hahaha ok. It's pretty late here so I should get to sleep.  
Bitty: I have an exam in the morning.  
Jack: Okay. Good night. Love you. Good luck on your test.  
Bitty: thanks. Love you too. Goodnight. <3

Jack quickly sent a text to Kent, and received a reply a minute later.

Jack: How did you know that was my picture?  
Parse: You told me you had a roommate and the guy said you smelled like cupcakes.  
Parse: You totally do, by the way. Like, cinnamon or something.  
Parse: And if I said I didn't spend half that night staring at you it would be a flat-out lie. So yeah, I recognized you.  
Jack: Parse...  
Parse: Whatever. It's true. You look good. Deal with it.  
Parse: lol!  
Jack: Well, at least you were honest. I guess.  
Jack: I think I'm going to leave out that last part when I tell Bittle.   
Parse: lol! He's not a fan of me anymore?  
Jack: He stopped being your fan the night he met you.  
Parse: Ouch! Maybe I can change his mind when we come to Providence in February.   
Jack: Haha. Good luck with that.  
Parse: Seriously though. Make sure he comes to that game. We can all have dinner together after that.  
Parse: Give me a chance to redeem myself for that terrible fucking party.  
Jack: Who is the "all" in that dinner scenario?  
Parse: You me and Bittle. Who else?  
Jack: What about that guy who called you when I was over the other night?  
Parse: That's... I don't know. Not really at that stage yet, tbh.  
Jack: Well, if it changes by February, tell him to come too.  
Jack: He's your teammate, right? Have you told him about me? Our history?  
Parse: I would, but I didn't want to out you like that to someone who is a total stranger to you.  
Jack: Do you trust him?  
Parse: Yeah.  
Jack: Then you can tell him. If he's important to you then he should know.  
Parse: Don't say "important" like that. I'm just fucking the guy.  
Parse: It's not like I care or anything. Whatever.  
Parse: Shit!  
Jack: Kenny...  
Parse: You sure I can tell him?  
Jack: Yeah.  
Parse: ... Okay. I will.  
Parse: Thanks.  
Jack: I've got your back.  
Parse: Yeah yeah whatever. I'm going to bed. Good night.  
Jack: Good night Parse.

***The End***

(Epilogue to Follow)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Kent might not be at the stage yet where he's willing to admit that the guy he's been sleeping with exclusively for nearly a year, and goes for meals with, and sees every day, and genuinely enjoys the company of is probably more than a "friends with benefits" situation. Give him a couple weeks before he finally brings up that he used to date Jack, and his teammate thanks him for telling him about it and asks if he needs to worry about Jack in the future. And Kent is like, "why would you?" and the other guy says "because we're dating by now, aren't we?" and only then does it hit him that holy shit he has a boyfriend. "Oh. Yeah. Totally. Um... Keep your dinner schedule open after our Providence game next month, okay?"
> 
> Next stop: Epilogue! A quick bit about Jack and Bitty's joint Zimmermann-Bittle Xmas Adventure. Aka "wait, WHAT does that mean?"


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue to Ace of Spades/the trilogy in general.  
> Jack and Bitty's parents visit Providence for Christmas and arrive just in time for the last Falconers game before the holiday break.

"This is a terrible idea. We never should have agreed to this. Why did this sound like a good idea ever?" Bitty stared up at the ceiling from Jack's bed while his boyfriend got dressed after his shower.

Jack laughed. "Because we both wanted to see our families, and each other, and I only have a few days for my break. It will be fine."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one spending the entire evening with them. All you have to do is play some hockey..."

"Oh? Is that _all_ I have to do?" Jack grinned.

"Yup. Basically no responsibility here."

"And you'll have it so rough sitting in box seats with our friendly parents, eh? Between my dad and your mom you probably won't have to say a word all night."

"They're all going to be asking me questions about you, ya know?"

"Your favourite topic. See? You'll be fine," Jack ducked to avoid the pillow thrown at his head. He laughed and tossed it back, following after it and tackling Bitty in bed.

"Ah! Hey! No! No more! You have to get to work and I need to get ready for our parents!" Bitty laughed and smacked Jack's back with his unpinned hand.

Jack purposely let his body go limp for a moment, lying on top of Bitty with his full weight. "You're so-!"

"You're crushing me, you giant!" Bitty switched tactics and dug his fingers into Jack's side to tickle him.

"Ah! Okay, okay! You win," Jack rolled onto his side, pulling Bitty with him in a tangle of bedsheets.

"We can't right now..." Bitty said quietly, sounding a little disappointed. He ran his hand through the older man's black hair.

"I know. Just stay like this for a minute," Jack touched their foreheads together and pulled Bitty closer by his waist.

Bitty angled his head so their lips met. "Good luck in your game tonight."

"Thanks, Bits. I guess the pressure is on, wouldn't want to lose the first game your parents get to see live."

"That doesn't matter. Everyone knows you give 110% every game. Win or lose, we'll all be proud of you," He continued curling his fingers through Jack's hair. "I'm _always_ so proud of you, baby..."

"I'm so lucky I have you," Jack shifted his body down in the bed a little so he could nuzzle his head into the crook of his boyfriend's neck.

Bitty chuckled. "If you keep acting this cute I'm going to make you late for work, Mr. Zimmermann..."

"After the game, Bittle."

"Our parents will be here with us after the game."

"They have their own hotel rooms, they'll go home to them eventually."

"Won't you be tired?"

"I'm never too tired for you," Jack kissed his neck. "You should know this by now..." He nipped Bitty gently.

"I do, I know! Gah! Okay stop, don't be late. I have to-!" Bitty stopped mid-sentence when he heard his phone chime and glanced at the clock on Jack's nightstand. "My parents' flight must've landed. They'll all be here within the hour."

Jack rolled over and got out of bed. "Did my parents get in yet?"

"About twenty minutes ago, while you were in the shower. You mom was picking up the rental car while they waited for my parents and then they're all planning on heading to the hotel together."

"It's nice that they're both in the same hotel," Jack said before starting to brush his teeth.

"Did I tell you that my parents thought at first that I was going to be sharing their hotel room?"

Jack choked on his toothpaste. "Whah? No," he grinned the rest of the time he brushed.

"I had to tell my mama that I was already going to be in Providence as of Friday afternoon when my classes ended, and that I would be staying here with you. She got so quiet. Like, I'm dating you, where else would I stay? Pretty sure they think I'm still twelve years old sometimes."

"Should I move your things to the guest bedroom, Bittle?"

"Oh don't you dare!" Bitty laughed and threw another pillow at his head.

******

"Oh, Dicky! This is so exciting!" Suzanne Bittle gripped her son's arm tightly with one hand as they sat down in the box seats. "And _glamorous!_ Is this where you always sit?"

"Oh goodness, no. I usually get some random seat in one of the sections near the bench. I've never been in here before."

"I think this is Bobby's doing," Alicia Zimmermann sat down one seat away from Bitty, to leave room for her husband. "Everyone gets excited when they hear he is coming to a game, even though he's been retired for so long already. Fair warning, we'll all be on camera at least once tonight."

"Have you gone to many games, Junior?" Bitty's dad asked him while Alicia briefed Suzanne about what she should expect from attending a hockey game with 'Bad Bob' Zimmermann.

"Oh," Bitty ducked around his mother to look at his father as he spoke. "About ten so far."

"Did Jack get you that jersey?"

"No. Uh," Bitty looked down at the Zimmermann jersey he had slipped on over his dress shirt, and remembered to his horror the first time he had shown it to Jack. "I bought it. As a surprise."

"That's nice," his dad smiled at his inexplicably flustered son.

Bitty hopped to his feet. "I'm going to grab some water," he excused himself. How many times had he had sex with Jack while wearing that jersey? Bitty wished he would have thought of that beforehand, instead of now being forced to wear it for an entire game sandwiched between both of their parents. 

"You okay, son?" Bob asked as Bitty grabbed a bottle of water from the bar. 

"Hm? Yeah, fine!" Bitty sounded a little too enthusiastic, even to his own ears.

"Don't be nervous. Come, have a glass of wine," he held up the bottle of red wine in his hand.

"I'm not- I can't. I'm only twenty, so..."

"I won't tell if you won't. Will your parents mind?"

"N-no. Probably not," Bitty shook his head. His dad let him have a beer every now and then when he spent his summers at home. Surely one glass of wine would not matter.

"Wonderful," Bob smiled. "You know, Eric... Your parents are excited to see _you_. They're happy that their son is happy, as Alicia and I are. You don't have to worry about what they're thinking," he clapped one hand on Bitty's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "Now, help me carry over these glasses."

Bitty grabbed two wine glasses carefully in one hand, and a third that he held alongside his water bottle in the other. Bob handed his two glasses to Bitty's parents first and began to pour while Bitty put his water down and handed one of his glasses to Alicia. Bob paused before Bitty. "Just a little bit, maybe. Is it okay?" He checked with his parents with a nervous smile.

"Sure, Junior."

"We're celebrating, right? It's okay Dicky," Suzanne smiled back.

Bob poured wine for himself and his wife and leaned to kiss Alicia's cheek as he handed her glass back to her. "For you, _mon petit chou à la crème._ "

"Oh stop," Alicia gave his arm a playful smack.

Bitty's ears perked up at the first half of the term, but it was his mother who asked what he was about to say. "That's cute. What does it mean? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's like 'sweetheart' or 'honey', that sort of thing."

Bitty cleared his throat. "But what does it literally mean?"

"It's like a little pastry, what would you call them in English?" Bob turned to his wife for help with his explanation.

"A cream puff."

"Excuse me?" Bitty deadpanned, hit with the realization that this may be Jack's most elaborate chirp yet. "I thought _chou_  meant 'cabbage'."

"It does. I suppose if you say only mon petit chou, it could be interpreted that way, but that's not very endearing," Bob laughed.

Bitty set down his wine glass and pulled out his phone. "And how do you spell that? The pastry?"

" _Chou à la crème,_ with _l'accent grave_  over the 'à' and the first 'e' in crème."

"And which one is that again?"

"The little line that is higher on the left and points down," Alicia explained.

"Oh, that's right. Jack said you were trying to learn some French. How's that going?" Bob asked.

"Pretty well... but I don't think I trust your son's translations anymore," Bitty said as he typed a quick text to Jack while Bob burst into laughter.

Bitty: Jacques Laurent Zimmermann you have some explaining to do...

******

The six of them went out for a celebratory dinner after the Falconer's big win and Bitty was now on his third glass of wine for the evening. The second one had come at the hand of Alicia Zimmermann, who had discreetly leaned over and topped off Bitty's glass when the Falconer's were down by one goal at the end of the second period. Bitty had done his best to reassure Jack earlier, but he had been so  worried about how Jack would feel if they did end up losing. 

Another highlight of Bitty's night included his phone blowing up with so many text messages that he worried it might literally explode, after his friends all watching at their homes caught sight of him sitting with Bob Zimmermann's arm around his shoulder.

Ransom: Bonding with the in laws, eh Bits??  
Holster: Fuck, dude. Is that THE jersey?  
Lardo: OMG it totally is.  
Holster: Remember the first time he showed it to Jack and then we had to listen to them fucking for two nights straight?  
Ransom: Epic Hausgiving tho.  
Ransom: Can't forget.  
Holster: Really?  
Ransom: Of course not.  
Lardo: ...  
Lardo: *cough* thin walls *cough* all of them! *coughcough*  
Holster: Hey, does Bad Bob know you fucked his son in that jersey?  
Bitty: Y'all need to stop writing these things! My mama keeps trying to see what I'm reading!!! O.O  
Shitty: Holy shit, Bitty. Was that your dad on the right?  
Bitty: Yes...  
Shitty: Tell him he has a sick 'stache, brah!  
Bitty: I can't do that.  
Shitty: What? Why not??  
Bitty: My mouth will not physically allow me to say those words.  
Bitty: Ever.  
Bitty: Especially not to my father.

The next highlight included Jack's teammate Serge meeting his father. While some players from both teams had asked 'Bad Bob' for his autograph as they waited outside the Falconers' locker room, Serge had opted instead to politely shake the hockey legend's hand before turning to smack Jack in the shoulder. "Dude! I keep forgetting you're his son."

"Really? You might be the only one... _Anywhere_ ," Jack had laughed as he rubbed his shoulder, and suddenly Bitty did not seem to mind so much anymore about Serge's height-related chirps. 

"Hey, Itty Bitty!" Serge stopped short of ruffling his hair when he noticed how well everyone was dressed for their upcoming dinner. "Did our boy here give you my wife's number yet? Those cookies the other day were phenomenal. I kept bugging her to make some, but the recipe she found online just wasn't the same. Seriously though, you're way too good at this baking stuff."

Okay, so maybe Serge was not so bad after all. Even if he had just called him 'Itty Bitty'. The second glass of red wine certainly was not hurting Bitty's mood either.

The third highlight of the night came as Bitty took the first sip of his third glass of wine. Jack had stopped his father when he tried to pour some wine in his son's glass.

"It's okay, papa. I'll have water," Jack turned his glass upside-down on the table and waved off the bottle in Bob's hand.

"You can have _one_ drink..."

"It's fine. There's probably more cameras around than usual if you're here, so..."

Bob grabbed the glass and poured some wine into it anyway. "You are my _son_ and you are celebrating Christmas with your family. If some idiot with a camera and a pen wants to make a scandal out of that, they can answer to **_me,_** " paparazzi would be best to skip that photo op. He was nicknamed 'Bad Bob' for a reason, though this was the first time Bitty had seen the protective side to the normally genial hockey legend.

Jack stared at his glass for a moment before taking a sip. "Thank you," he smiled and Bitty gave his leg a reassuring squeeze under the table.

Dinner was a resounding success and they brought their parents back to Jack's apartment. "Hey, what was that 'explanation' text you sent me earlier all about?" Jack asked as he helped a tipsy Bitty prepare snacks in his kitchen.

"Your parents told me that _chou_ can be a type of pastry too. Why on earth would you tell me it means 'cabbage'?"

Jack laughed. "It does, though!" He insisted. "I was going to explain it more, but then you made me cabbage soup before you left the next morning, and every time since. It's delicious and much healthier for me to be eating during hockey season than baked goods."

"That's all? That's your reason?"

"Well, I think it suits you either way," Jack grinned.

"How does 'cabbage' suit me?" Bitty laughed.

"Because cabbage is firm and round," Jack smacked his boyfriend's butt as he walked past him to grab a serving plate from the cupboard.

Bitty yelped, gaining the attention of their parents in the living room. "Nothing!!!" He insisted before anyone got the chance to ask what had happened. He closed in on Jack and pinched his arm. "Our parents are right over there!" He whispered.

"I know," Jack snuck a kiss, a little tipsy himself on his one glass of wine.

"You!" Bitty laughed through his protests. "Aren't you a little too energetic tonight, Mr. Zimmermann?"

"Didn't I promise I would be? I told you I don't get tired when it comes to you..." Jack snuck one more kiss before resuming his work in the kitchen. "Does that cabbage nickname bother you?"

"It's fine," Bitty sighed with a smile. "I still think it's cute, and I'm used to it by now."

"Good, because I really like that soup."

Bitty caught him by the hand and pulled Jack in for a kiss, this time without worrying if their parents could see them or not. "I love you," he rested his forehead against Jack's chest.

" _Je t'aime, mon petit chou._ "

***End of Epilogue***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you were curious, here are some songs I listened to while writing:  
> "The Sweater Song" by Hedley (gave me the idea about Bitty's shirt, since he's alreay wearing Jack's stuff all the time.)  
> "Rehab" by Rihanna (Jack's pov on his past with Parse)  
> "Should Have Been Us" by Tori Kelly (really good male cover on youtube by Travis Atreo - Kent's pov of past with Jack)

**Author's Note:**

> Voila! End of the "Mon Petit Chou" Trilogy!  
> I had sooo much fun writing this, even the darker parts like Jack & Kent's talk (tho fyi, my usual style of writing all about the angst like that).  
> So, the trilogy is "over" but I still have two side-fics planned that relate to it: one focusses on Dex after the events of "Hausgiving 2.0" and one follows Kent following this story when the Aces play the Falconers in Providence mid-February. Lol


End file.
